James Gurney

This daily weblog by Dinotopia creator James Gurney is for illustrators, plein-air painters, sketchers, comic artists, animators, art students, and writers. You'll find practical studio tips, insights into the making of the Dinotopia books, and first-hand reports from art schools and museums.

CG Art

Contact

or by email:gurneyjourney (at) gmail.comSorry, I can't give personal art advice or portfolio reviews. If you can, it's best to ask art questions in the blog comments.

Permissions

All images and text are copyright 2015 James Gurney and/or their respective owners. Dinotopia is a registered trademark of James Gurney. For use of text or images in traditional print media or for any commercial licensing rights, please email me for permission.

However, you can quote images or text without asking permission on your educational or non-commercial blog, website, or Facebook page as long as you give me credit and provide a link back. Students and teachers can also quote images or text for their non-commercial school activity. It's also OK to do an artistic copy of my paintings as a study exercise without asking permission.

Monday, July 2, 2012

Wouldn't you be nervous if you were riding on the train, minding your own business, and some guy in a Mobil shirt kept staring at you and scrawling something in his book?

I think I made this guy a little uneasy. But he was cool. He sat there with the light streaming in through the window. I drew in a rough outline and then used the watercolor set to establish the big shapes.

He put on his sunglasses. I used my water-soluble colored pencils to draw his tattoos.

I broke the ice when I showed him the sketch. He loved it. Then he showed the amazing tattoos on his arms, which honor his mom and dad. I showed him some of my farm sketches.

It turns out that he is a farmer. I asked him what kinds of animals he's got. "You name 'em, I've got 'em." By the end of the train ride, he gave me his card, and invited me to come over and sketch his peacocks and emus.

Heh. Great story. I once did a pencil sketch of a nun on an airplane. She never noticed how much I was looking at here while I worked, but she liked it when I showed her the sketch. "Sister Frances" as I recall.

Jim, I love it! I was sketching all the flight attendants on a cross country flight as they did their tasks. Word spread fast among the staff and everyone came by to see the pictures. One attendant decided that my sketch book needed a sketch of me sketching them. So I handed him the book and a pen and he sketched me. He was thrilled. It was a hoot!

Great post. Looking at all your many public portraits from the blog, I just assumed that you asked permission right from the get-go. I take my sketchbook with me on all journeys, but often feel that staring at somebody, with such scrutiny and for such a long time would freak them out. So I often just settle for a 'just out of eyesight' angle, which isn't the best!This is something I've thought about a lot. I mean how would I react to somebody drawing me? I certainly wouldn't mind and I would probably attempt to put them at ease by making a joke about my appearance from the start. Have you had folks protest in the past? or do you ever explain from the moment you get your sketchbook out, what you are up to?I think I'm going to be a little braver and just ask them in future.CheersDan